Spring is finally here and that means lots of delicious local food is coming our way! Fort Greene resident Nick Runkle and his business partner Justin Cutter are the latest pair helping to make it easier for New Yorkers to have access to quality local produce. The two have founded Compass Green, a mobile greenhouse which will deliver fresh produce to schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and potentially throughout the country. Compass Green also acts as a mobile education center to help students better understand the inner workings of mini ecosystems – and it all takes place in an 18-foot diesel box truck.

After attending a mobile art show last summer, Nick Runkle was inspired to do more with his farming background — he wanted to share his love and knowledge of fresh and sustainable foods with the masses.Runkle got in touch with Justin Cutter, who at the time was working at a bio-intensive mini-farm in California, and the two have since begun the process of retrofitting an 18-foot diesel truck that they plan to use to for the Compass Green greenhouse.

The 18-foot box truck will be an exceptional fully functioning greenhouse that will run on used vegetable oil, and it will be powered with solar and wind energy.The sides of the box will be replaced with Plexiglas windows to allow the plants plenty of sunshine. Urban and mobile farming in small spaces has really taken off in the last few years, and there are other veggie mobiles out there, but this will be the first mobile greenhouse to run entirely on renewable energy.

The pair is putting the final touches on the truck, and they hope to show it off at the Fort Greene Greenmarket within the next month or so. Runkle and Cutter are currently raising money to fund all of the retrofitting on their Kickstarter page. So far, they have 280 supporters. The team has promised supporters some sweet treats, including postcards from the road and a private dinner made with the truck-grown produce. This is a wonderful project that we can’t wait to see in action! If you’re interested in donating to the cause, head over to the Compass Green Kickstarter page.